Speedy. Clean. Reliable. These are words we associate with rail travel. But can buses compete?

Bus Rapid Transit systems are popular in South America and Europe, but so far, only a handful of American cities have made investments in the technology. The Connecticut Department of Transportation is currently looking for federal funding to initiate two new busways—one from New Britain to Hartford and another from Greenwich to Norwalk.

Supporters say BRT uses existing infrastructure to meet changing transit demands quickly and efficiently. Critics say bus lines don’t attract development or riders as effectively as rail. Coming up, Where We Live, a discussion about Bus Rapid Transit. We’ll check in with Cleveland, Ohio, where a new BRT line has transformed a central city corridor. We’ll also ask how new bus transit might work here in Connecticut.

Connecticut’s population is scattered at low densities. Right now, 91% of our jobs are more than ½ mile from a rail station- outside walking distance- and even if we reactivated passenger rail on all remaining rail rights of way, we’d get that number down only to 87%. So bus has to be a huge part of the state’s transit network.

I was the director of downtown housing development for the City of Cleveland under Mayor Michael White. While in Cleveland, I was constantly impressed by the commitment of the business community to the city of Cleveland. Could Mr. Calabrese comment on this and how the business community remained committed to the project.